BSE News

The newly completed genome, dubbed T2T-CHM13, represents a major upgrade from the current reference genome, called GRCh38, which is used by doctors when searching for mutations linked to disease, as well as by scientists looking at the evolution of human genetic variation. Among other things, the new DNA sequences reveal never-before-seen detail about the region around the centromere, which is where chromosomes are grabbed and pulled apart when cells divide, ensuring that each “daughter” cell inherits the correct number of chromosomes.

A team of researchers from the Biosciences Area at Berkeley Lab and the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom found one particular organism in the fly’s microbiome that helps protect it from atrazine, an herbicide toxic to flies that is commonly used in agriculture. This method of rescuing fruit flies from atrazine poisoning with probiotics may be useful for protecting pollinators in agriculture.

Researchers in the Biological Systems and Engineering (BSE) Division are collaborating with colleagues at the Berkeley Lab Laser Accelerator (BELLA) Center to adapt the nascent technology of laser-driven ion accelerators to make a more effective type of radiation more readily available to patients. The mutually beneficial partnership gives BELLA scientists a real-world application around which to refine their experimental laser platform, and gives the biologists a chance to test how living tissue responds to laser-driven proton beams at FLASH dose rates.

Scientists at Berkeley Lab are working to expand our understanding of breast cancer diagnosis and treatment. Recently, a group in the BSE Division developed a framework that enables the transfer of discoveries derived from mouse models to humans. This success will allow breast cancer researchers to better predict how likely a tumor in humans is to metastasize based on how the corresponding cells in mice behaved.

Amy Herr, faculty engineer in the Biological and Systems Engineering Division, has been appointed as Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of the newly established Chan Zuckerberg Biohub Network. As CTO, Herr will help lead the Network’s efforts to advance technologies to observe, measure, and analyze human biology in action.